I Found It
by Krystal-Enderheart
Summary: The Doctor misses his companions, but when a young girl bumps into him on the street, that could all change...
1. Chapter 1

I Found It

The Doctor sat on the edge of The TARDIS doors, legs dangling into infinite space. He sighed and watched as a distant star went supernova, and another was born from it. The Universe was beautiful, always dying and being reborn. He stood up and walked back inside, the doors shutting behind him. He missed having a companion. They always wanted to go somewhere, do something or , meet someone. He was never bored when he had companions. He sighed again.

"All of time and space at my finger tips, and yet I'm bored," He said to himself with a smile. He decided to go back to present day London. If there was something interesting along the way, The TARDIS would be sure to send him there instead anyway. He might go to a museum, or a library if he wasn't pulled off course.

The TARDIS landed, and he stepped out the doors, putting his hands in his suit pockets. He started to wander around, locking The TARDIS behind him. Couldn't have anyone going inside.

As he was walking down the path, deciding what he should do, a young girl wearing glasses came rushing down the street, books under one arm and camera phone in the other hand. She bumped into him on the way past.

"Sorry, sorry!" She said, rushing off again.

Little did they know, when the mystery girl bumped into The Doctor, a TARDIS key fell out of his pocket and flew into a nearby bush, the edge just showing.

-Later that evening-

Abi walked slowly down the Orange-lit path, scouring the ground for it. She hadn't realised earlier, but she had definitely heard the sound of metal hitting wood and seen sunlight reflected off something shiny. She came to the spot she remembered bumping into that strange man, the tall one with brown hair and the blue suit. She looked around, shining her torch all over the path, careful to illuminate every inch.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the light being reflected. She gave it her attention, hoping to find whatever she was looking for. A police officer walked by, and he put a hand on her shoulder.

"You alright miss?" He asked.

She looked at him and smiled, pushing up her glasses. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. You?" She asked.

"Ah, you know. Night shift down here's a mercy. Always quiet," He said with a nod. "You lookin' for somethin'?" He asked, noticing the torch in her hand.

"Oh, not really. Just out for a walk," She dismissed, holding the torch head in her spare hand.

"Bit late for a walk, 'in 'it? Something goin' at on at 'ome?" He questioned, concerned.

"Nah, I just like the peacefulness you get this late, you know," She said with a smile.

"Alright then. You have a nice walk," He finished, walking away.

"You too," Abi called after him, turning her attention back to whatever reflected the torchlight. "What are you?" She muttered under her breath, bending down and reaching through the black railings to pick it up.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, noticing it was hot and glowed faintly. She pulled out a glove from her coat pocket and put it on, picking up what she now discovered to be a key.

"Why are you here?" She asked herself, talking to the key and turning it over in hand. She stood up and looked around. No one here. She thought for a while, but when she checked her watch she saw it was nearing midnight. She had to get back, her mother would be worrying about her no doubt. She dropped the mysterious key in her pocket and started to walk home, hands in her pockets.

-Back at the house-

"Oh my god! Abi, where have you been?!" Her mother cried as Abi walked in the door. "You had me so worried!" She exclaimed in a whisper, enveloping her daughter in a hug.

"Mum, I just went for a walk, that's all," Abi replied, pushing her mother off of her.

"Well you left it a bit late, didn't you?" She asked.

Abi could see lines in her makeup and her mascara was smudged. She had been crying. She hugged her mum one more time before walking upstairs to her attic bedroom. She shut and locked her bedroom door behind her, careful to be quiet so as to not wake anyone.

Her bedroom was painted pale blue, with the most brilliant azure blue feature wall and white furniture. Her double white leather bed sat in the centre, fairy lights strung around the curtain pole on the window above it. The curtains were closed. She pulled the key out of her pocket and walked over to her desk and cork board. She took a piece of ribbon and pinned the key to the board, right in the centre. Surrounding were pictures of the blue police box, mentions of it in texts, carvings of it on the walls of caves. In the middle of it all was an A4, landscape piece of paper with words written on it.

"The Doctor and The Blue Box"

On her desk lay her newest photos, in front of her Apple Mac computer. She plugged in her iPhone, and clicked on the file containing her photos, printing them out. She grabbed them from the printer under her desk and put them with the other things on her desk, along with some unfinished homework.

Tired, she pulled off her coat and scarf, hanging the, on the hooks on the back of her door. She changed into her pyjamas and climbed into bed, setting her glasses down on her bedside.

-Meanwhile, at The Arch London Hotel-

The Doctor stood at the window, looking out at the silent landscape of central London. He hoped The TARDIS would be okay parked in Connaught Square. He sighed. He noticed he had been doing a lot of sighing lately.

"Maybe I'm lonely," He thought aloud to himself. "I suppose it has been a while since I last had a companion, after Martha left,"

Deciding to sleep on that thought, he climbed into the luxury bed and settled down for the night. Who said Time Lords didn't need sleep? Besides, it helped him clear his constantly crowded mind and relax for a few hours.

-In the morning, at Abi's house-

Abi groaned and rolled onto her back, reaching for her phone. She opened her eyes and switched it on, checking the time.

"Good god it's too early for a weekend," She mumbled, seeing that the time read 8:27 AM.

Reluctantly, she dragged herself out of the warm, comfortable fortress that was her bed and got dressed, chucking on yesterday's jeans and black printed tee but also grabbing the key from its place and stuffing it into her pocket. She pulled on her slipper socks, slipped on her glasses, brushed her hair, cleaned her teeth and walked downstairs to make herself some breakfast.

As she was tucking in to the full English breakfast she had made herself, her mother came downstairs in her dressing gown and slippers.

"Good morning," She greeted, putting bread in the toaster and getting butter from the fridge.

"Good morning. You get enough sleep?" Abi asked, taking another bite of toast, egg, sausage and beans.

"Slept like a log, I did. So, Sherlock, how's the investigation?" She asked with a smile, making herself a cup of tea.

"It's going well. I still don't have any pictures of the man himself, but I have actually found his box!" She exclaimed, filling her mouth with food again.

"That's marvellous dear! Well, I do hope you find 'im," Her mother sat at the table and bit into her toast, just as Abi finished her breakfast.

"So do I. I'm gonna go out again today, if that okay with you," She answered, standing up and pulling on her boots.

"Oh, do what you like. But today, answer your phone and be back by 9," She instructed.

"Yes ma'am!" Abi replied, standing to attention and saluting before turning to walk out the door.

"Watch out for strangers!" Her mother called behind her.

Armed with her camera phone, Abi ran back to the blue box and took photos of it from all angles, photographing every detail. When she had satisfied herself with photos of the box, she walked over to the bench opposite it, and sat down. She occupied herself with games on her phone and texting her friends, some of which were thrilled she was finally reaching a conclusion, others sad that she had pursued her "obsession".

After 6 hours of waiting on that bench, three policemen, two cleaners, eight concerned people and several interested dogs, he finally came. The Doctor. The madman with the blue box.

-The Doctor's morning-

After having breakfast at the hotel he walked around town, shopping a little. He had his hands in his pockets as always as he walked around town, looking in shop windows and giving small change from his pockets to the homeless. Couldn't say he didn't care. Soon he found a small newsagents, but something about it intrigued him. The colours of the shop and the person inside.

He walked in.

"Oh! 'iya mate, anything I can help you with? We don't get many people in 'ere," The young lad behind the counter greeted. He was flicking through the channels on the TV in the corner, eventually settling for a football match.

"Why?" The Doctor asked.

"Why what?" The kid replied, confused and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Why don't you get many customers?"

"Oh, don't you know? My little sister writes the front page for the newspaper we sell. She's got this obsession with this dude an' 'is blue box. Drives the locals mad, she does," He explained.

"Can I?" The Doctor asked, gesturing to the newspapers laid out. Only one or two.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll tell 'er someone read 'er story," He said with a smile. "I'm Joe," He introduced himself.

"John. Pleasure," The Doctor replied, and the two shook hands.

As he read the article, he noticed that the writing wasn't of professional quality. It was written by a young person, probably about 13-14 from the quality. It showed how excited she got when she found new mentions of "The blue box" or...

..."The Doctor".

"How much?" He asked.

"We don't really have a price for 'em. Whatever you wanna pay, really, within reason," Joe replied.

"Here," He said, handing him three pound coins from his pocket. "How old's your sister, Joe?"

"Thanks! Uh, she's 12, why?" He answered, turning back to the football.

"She's really good for a 12 year old," He complimented.

"I'll tell 'er that," Joe said with a smile, watching as the strange man walked out the door. Joe wondered why he was wearing a suit, it's the weekend.

The Doctor spent a few more hours inquiring about the girl who wrote the article, trying to find out about her. She could be the descendant of some he's met before. That would be nice. But if she wasn't, then how did she know about him, and how did she have all this information?

Eventually he found she had been researching him for years. She had a cork board in her bedroom with photos piled on it. He wondered how she had gotten so many photos of The TARDIS, and if maybe she was a time-traveller too. Whatever the case, he needed to get back to The TARDIS and try find a name or a face.

-At the park-

Abi couldn't believe she had found him. She sprung up from her place on the bench, and approached him nervously. She recognised him, it was the man she had bumped into, the one who dropped the key. She reached into her pocket and placed a hand on it.

"Um, excuse me?" She asked. The man was fumbling around in his pockets, presumably for the key.

"Yes?" He replied, not looking up from what he was doing.

"Sorry, but, are you The Doctor?" She asked nervously.

When she said that, he turned his head to look at her. She was holding a camera phone, it was the same girl who had rushed past him yesterday. He nervously answered her. "Yes... What's your name?"

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I'm so glad to have finally found you! Do you mind if I take your picture?" She asked, stepping back and opening up the camera app, completely ignoring his question.

"No, go ahead," The Doctor replied, pushing back his coat to put his hands in his pockets.

Abi beamed as she took photographs of the man, this had been the best weekend ever! "Abi," She said, out of the blue.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"You asked my name, it's Abi," She clarified.

"Oh," He responded, watching as Abi shut off her camera phone and approached him.

"I've been looking for you for years now," She said in awe.

"I know. I've heard plenty about you," He replied.

Abi decided to keep quiet about the key for now, she didn't want him to be angry with her. "It was great meeting you," She said.

"And you, Abi," He replied.

Abi smiled and ran off back home to print the photos and add them to her cork board. The Doctor watched her run off, and found a spare key in his coat pocket. He unlocked The TARDIS and stepped inside, closing the doors behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

I Found It, Part 2

It was late. Abi was still lying awake in bed, turning the key over in her hands. It still glowed softly, but it wasn't hot anymore. She thought about the possibility it was for that Police Box she had photos of.

She turned to look at the photos.

'Maybe...' She thought, getting up and quietly switching on her computer.

She plugged in her phone and accessed the image files, putting one of them into a professional photo editor. The photo showed the panel of the box with the keyhole in it, and she cropped and enhanced the image. She got a piece of paper and studied the shape, drawing it out and using scissors to push the shape through. She took the key, and nervously pushed it into the shape, seeing it fit. She smiled and now, suddenly tired, switched everything off and climbed back into bed.

That morning, she rushed to get ready and have breakfast, eating only a small bowl of cereal.

"Mum, I'm going out!" She called up the stairs to her mother's bedroom, where she was doing her make-up.

"Okay, don't be back too late!" Came the response.

Abi dashed out the door and down the street, returning to the police box. She looked around, and saw the park almost deserted. The only other person there was little ol' Mrs. Fenningway and her white westie Jack. She was sat on a bench further down the path, feeding the pigeons. Abi turned her attention back to the lock, slowly pushing the key into the hole. It fit perfectly. She had been right. She quietly turned it, and upon hearing a soft click, gently pushed the squeaking door open.

-The Doctor's Point of View-

He spent the night working, trying to find out as much as he can about Abi. People had spent entire lifetimes waiting for him, knowing nothing about him. Yet she, a 12 year old girl, had so much information on him and had found him in only a few years. Yet the more he searched, the more he was disappointed. She appeared to be just an ordinary girl. Completely ordinary...

...But that was impossible. She couldn't be.

He kept checking, finding everything he could, even checking her family tree to see if he had met anyone she was related to. He checked her lists of friends, and checking their family trees. There must be someone or something connected to her...she couldn't be ordinary.

Around 8am, he heard footsteps and a key being slotted into The TARDIS. He panicked, and jumped over the railing, hiding under the floor. He peeked over the edge, and watched as Abi walked in.

-Third Person Point of View-

She stared at the impossibility of the room, rushing back out to check the outside, running her hands along the sides of the wooden box. She walked back in and took the key from the door before shutting it behind her. She walked over to the control panel, and put a hand on it.

However, The TARDIS didn't seem to like her, not trusting her yet. It sprayed a gas into the air that would knock the young girl out, and The Doctor burst out from his hiding place and caught her as she fell to the ground.

"Abi! Abi!" He shouted as she fell into blackness.

-Later-

Abi slowly opened her eyes to see The Doctor sat at the end of the bed she was lying in. The sheets were dark blue, and the quilt was a lighter blue. She looked at The Doctor and saw the concern in his brown eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked, helping her sit up.

"I-I think... What happened? Where am I?" She asked.

"The TARDIS sprayed you with a gas that knocked you out. You've been out for two hours," He explained. "You're in one of the bedrooms in The TARDIS."

"What's a... TARDIS?" She asked, confused.

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Bigger on the inside, and currently... Very grumpy,"

"I'll pretend to have understood that," Abi responded, swinging her legs out and sitting beside him.

"How did you get a key?" The Doctor inquired.

"I found it." She mumbled, looking away from him.

"I know, but how?" He pushed.

"I- Well, when I bumped into you, it fell out your pocket. I went back and picked it up," She explained. "I can't believe I'm actually here..."

"Mm. Neither can I," He said, standing up.

"So, do you live here? And how does the box just disappear? And how is it bigger on the inside?" She questioned, standing and following him like a lost puppy as he walked out of the room and into the main control room.

"You ask a lot of questions," He observed.

"Well, I want to be a journalist when I'm older," She explained.

"I knew a journalist. Anyway, yes, it dematerialises and pocket dimension," He answered.

"What? Pocket dimension?" She asked, pulling out her notepad and a green fluffy pen to write it all down. "You mean they can exist? But how? How does it contain itself within the disguise of a 1950's police box? And why do you live here?" She rattled off more questions.

The Doctor sat down in a chair and out his feet up on the control panel, crossing his legs. "Yes, pocket dimensions can exist. My TARDIS is proof of that fact. As for how, it's the technology of my people, and if I tried to explain you really wouldn't understand. It stays camouflaged using a chameleon circuit, but it's broken and is stuck looking like a police box. And I live here because I don't have a home. Is that alright?" He answered, looking at her as she frantically scribbled down his answers.

Abi walked over and sat in the chair beside him. "You mentioned 'your people'. What does that mean? Where are you from?"

"I'm an alien," He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh. To be completely honest, I did sort of have a hunch," She admitted with a smile.

"You what?" He said, stunned. He sat up, took his legs down and looked at her.

"I had a hunch you were an alien. I mean, you show up through out all of history, you and your blue box. Cave paintings, Roman sculptures, photographs with families from the Titanic. And you keep changing your face. My first theory was father and son but there was too much variation for that, so I concluded that you were all the same man. Which meant you were an alien because nobody can just change their face when they fancy it," She explained her theory, reading back on her previous notes and standing up to pace up and down in front of him.

"Wow. You're good. How old are you?" He asked, standing up.

"12. That a problem?" She asked. "Do you remember my name?" She walked around the control panel, making even more notes and sketching some of the things.

"Of course I do. Abi. I assume you remember mine," He said, watching her.

"Of course. 'The Doctor'. How could I forget?" She paused to look at him.

"How did you find me? People have spent their entire lives knowing nothing about me and waiting for me. But you have never met me, you know all about me and you find me in a few years?" He inquired, walking around the console to stand in front of her.

"Lucky?" She offered, holding her notebook to her chest. He was actually quite intimidating.

"No, people don't just get lucky. Who are you?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

Abi looked into his eyes and he looked into hers. He could see the sheer terror on her face, and tears forming at the corner of her eyes. He softened his look. "I'm sorry. It's just in my line of work you've gotta be careful, I can't have too many knowing too much."

Abi nodded and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "What does this place- The TARDIS- do, exactly?" She asked.

"Well, it travels in time and space," He answered, putting a hand on the console.

"What? No. It can't...Can it?" She asked, standing beside him.

"Of course it can. Want me to prove it?" He offered.

"What? You mean... Go time travelling? With you?" She confirmed.

"Mmhm. That a problem?"

"But I barely know you! And what about 'stranger danger'?" Abi teased.

"Oh come on. You know pretty much everything. And you're already inside my blue box, and you've slept on my bed," He answered.

She shrugged. "Fair point. So, where are we going?"

"In all of time and space, where to first, Miss Abi?" He said, readying himself at the controls.

"Hmm... Victorian London!" She answered. "I want to meet Charles Dickens,"

"Victorian London it is, then!" He said, pulling levers and pushing buttons as he ran around the console and the room shook.

And that all too familiar sound started as The TARDIS left London, 2015.


End file.
